2. TEST has been designed to emulate the manual solution. It reinforces the classical approach to thermodynamic problem solving by engaging its user visually through the fundamental steps – simplification of system, idealization of working fluid, approximations, use of thermodynamic plots, and interpreting the answers – to obtain a solution without a single line of programming. 

3. TEST classifies hundreds of working substances into three models that are sub-divided into ten sub-models. Models that depend on tabular data (e.g. phase-change model for the steam table, ideal gas model for the air table) employ non-linear physics based interpolation to yield high accuracy (98%) within the data range. Similarly, data is extrpolated using physical models making TEST a very robust code even at extreme values of properties. For example, the moist air model allows any ambient pressure, and dew point temperature down to –40 deg-C. The steam table also extends down to  –40 deg-C, and includes ice-vapor equilibrium. All super-heated vapor data are extended up to 5000 deg-C.

4. The attractive graphical user interface and the fact that the complex daemons are built by putting together simpler familiar daemons makes the learning curve quite short. You learn to use one daemon well, you learn them all.

5. Instead of producing just the desired answers, TEST produces a comprehensive picture of the solution allowing an user to think outside the box . Evaluation of the nozzle exit velocity accompanies collateral conclusions on how the volume flow rate or the area changes from the inlet to the exit.

6. After a problem is solved, any conceivable what-if scenario involving a single or a group of variables can be studied because each variable of the problem is visually exposed. Simply change a value, and click a button. The parametric study, a hallmark of good design analysis, has never been simpler. 

7. Variables can be entered in any available units. The unit system (SI or English) is treated just like any other parameter, and, therefore, can be changed globally with a single click.

8. Any combination of independent properties can be used to determine a state. Pressure and temperature can both be unknown (for instance, finding a state from specific volume and entropy). The phase composition, likewise, is determined as part of the state unknown. 

9. If multiple solutions exist for a given combination of input, appropriate warning is generated with the possible alternative solutions. 

10. Algebraic equations use the same syntax as in the Microsoft Excell spreadsheets, familiar to most users. Moreover a variable is referred through its standard symbol followed by the state number (if applicable). An expression “=p1*(v1/v2)^1.3” for p2 does not need any further explanation.

11. TEST goes to great length in making the daemons user friendly. For instance, state variables are color coded - blue for thermodynamic properties, red for material properties, green for extrinsic properties and black for system variables. Moving the pointer over any variable displays its definition and its current value on the message panel. Different background colors are used to display the calculation status of each variable, green for the user input, cyan for the calculated values and gray for the deduction from the balance equations. 

12. TEST guides a user throughout a solution. If an input is inconsistent with previously entered variables (say entering density after pressure and temperature have been entered for an ideal gas), the daemon generates appropriate warning and refuses to accept the redundant input. Similarly if a balance equation is not satisfied through a solution, it is reported on the message panel. 
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13. Every state evaluation accompanies a thermodynamic plot (p-v, T-s etc. selected by the user), which is updated, as more states are determined. The visualization imposed on the user (which, of course, can be turned off) help develop skills to judge the accuracy of a solution. 

14. The Message Panel, where helpful solution tips and error messages are displayed, also doubles as a scientific calculator. Poperty symbols of the calculated states can be used as legitimate expression (e.g., (h2-h1)/(T2-T1), 3.14(12*2.54/100)^2, etc.).

15. TEST offers several shortcuts for advanced users. The TEST-Map provides direct simplification of a problem with all the daemons arranged in an intuitive tree structure. An alternative to pressing the Calculate button is to press the Enter key. Similarly the tab and space keys can be used to advance through the properties and turning on a variable (alternative to moving the pointer to a variable and turning it on by clicking the checkbox). 

16. The balance equations in their customized form, as solved by the daemons, are prominently displayed along with the system schematic. If a device is toggled between two opposing characteristics (mixing vs. non-mixing, for instance), the equations and the diagrams adjust on the fly.

17. TEST produces a detailed report of the solution separating what is given from what is calculated. A property table is also created that can be directly copied to a spreadsheet for further processing.

18. A visual solution that adheres to the systematic approach can be time taking. TEST provides a way to store the solution by generating a few lines of macros, called the TEST-Codes, which can be used at a later session to restart the solution from the point where it was left off. Unlike most computer programs, TEST-Codes simply summarizes what is given in a problem and is highly readable. Users can collaborate on a thermodynamic project through the use of TEST-Codes. Educators can use TEST-Codes to jump start a complex cycle for the purpose of parametric studies in the classroom.

19. The TEST-Code can also be used for parametric study without leaving the I/O panel. Simply change any combination of input parameters, Load and Super-Calculate to update all answers. Repeat as necessary.

20. TEST is built ground up in an object-oriented manner. States are manipulated as objects and can be loaded as the inlet or exit states of a device object, or the begin and finish states of a process object. This approach makes it quite easy to set up a problem from scratch in the classroom for an in-your-face demonstration. The library of TEST-Codes compiled in the Archive section also comes in handy in this regard.

21. TEST is universally accessible. Wherever a web browser is available, TEST can be run over the net. Because mirroring is encouraged, any change in the TEST web site is immediately reflected everywhere ensuring that everyone accesses the same version. A student working in the library can start on a homework problem, email the half-finished solution to himself and, later in the night, finish the solution in his dormitory. When a student turns into a professional, TEST would be there as a platform for lifelong learning providing continuity between the academic and professional life. 

22. Once a daemon appears on the screen, it runs locally without regard to the speed of the network connection. Having a mirror site in your university will greatly reduce the frustation of staring at a blank screen when some of the demanding daemons are loaded. 

23. The user base of TEST is rapidly growing. With more than a thousand educators, five thousand students and about two thousand professionals as registered users and countless others, who use it everyday without registration, TEST, quite likely, is a thoroughly tested application. 

24. Because TEST is run through a browser, it does not need any installation and it cannot crash a PC. For the same reason, TEST is platform independent, it runs on Windows, MacOS, Linux, Solaris or any other operating system capable of running a standard browser. To run TEST without a connection to the net, in a notebook for instance, all one has to do is to copy a  folder (about 100 Mbyte in size) into the hard disk. 

25. TEST-users can communicate with the author of TEST directly through the comments page. This makes reporting a bug or suggesting an improvement quite simple. 
 
 

Hundreds of materials
Visual Calculator
Algebraic Expressions
Built-in Calculator
Smart Features
Data Extrapolation
Global Unit Change
What-If Scenarios
Spreadsheet-Friendly Output
Generating TEST-Codes
Loading TEST-Codes
Parametrc Study

Sixteen Types of Systems
Simplification Tables
Governing Balance Equations
Daemon Specific Tutorial

Uniform Systems
Exergy Analysis
Non-Uniform Mixing
Non-Uniform Non-Mixing

Single-Flow Devices
Exergy Analysis
Multi-Flow Mixing
Multi-Flow Non-Mixing

Open Process
Closed & Steady
 

IC Engines
HVAC
Combustion

Steam Power
Gas Turbines
Vapor Refrigeration
Gas Refrigeration
HVAC
Combustion
Gas Dynamics

Unit Converter
Blackbody Radiation
Band Radiation From Gases